In this review, we will be comparing Contour 60i and F328Be, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Dynaudio and Revel.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Dynaudio Contour 60i and Revel PerformaBe F328Be first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Dynaudio Contour 60i | Revel PerformaBe F328Be |
|---|
| Brand | Dynaudio
Denmark · founded 1977 | Revel
United States · founded 1996 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" Soft-Dome | 1" |
|---|
| Midrange | 6" | 5.25" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 9" MSP | 3 x 8.0" Aluminum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 28-23k Hz | 26-40k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 91 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | — | 50-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 50.00kg / 110lbs | 51.18kg / 112.6lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 52-3/8" x 10-1/16" x 16-9/16"
1330.0 x 255.0 x 420.0mm | 50-15/16" x 13-1/2" x 17-5/8"
1294.0 x 343.0 x 448.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Dynaudio Contour 60i and Revel PerformaBe F328Be speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Dynaudio Contour 60i |
Revel PerformaBe F328Be |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
Average |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
Both Contour 60i and F328Be are 3-way speakers.
Dynaudio Contour 60iRevel PerformaBe F328Be
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Dynaudio Contour 60i |
Revel PerformaBe F328Be |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6-inch |
1 x 5.25-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 9-inch
|
3 x 8.0-inch
|
Contour 60i features a 1.1" Esotar 2i Soft-Dome Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 2 x 9" MSP Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 220 Hz / 4.500 Hz. On the other hand, the F328Be features a 1" Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 3 x 8.0" Aluminum Woofer.
Frequency Response
Contour 60i has a frequency range of 28-23k Hz whereas F328Be has a frequency range of 26-40k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 26Hz, the F328Be can go slightly deeper then the Contour 60i's min frequency of 28Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Contour 60i is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the F328Be which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Contour 60i can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Contour 60i sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the F328Be's is rated at 91 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the Revel PerformaBe F328Be a more sensitive speaker compared to Dynaudio Contour 60i, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
F328Be features 5-way posts posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Contour 60i has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Contour 60i and F328Be have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Dynaudio Contour 60i's and Revel PerformaBe F328Be's external dimensions. Dynaudio Contour 60i has external dimensions of 1330.0 x 255.0 x 420.0mm (52-3/8 x 10-1/16 x 16-9/16inch) whereas Revel PerformaBe F328Be has external dimensions of 1294.0 x 343.0 x 448.0mm (50-15/16 x 13-1/2 x 17-5/8inch).
Dynaudio Contour 60i is 88mm narrower and 28mm less deeper than Revel PerformaBe F328Be but it is also 36mm taller.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Revel PerformaBe F328Be needs about 43% more floor or shelf area. Revel PerformaBe F328Be is 28mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Dynaudio Contour 60i is 36mm taller.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Dynaudio Contour 60i is approximately 1071.0cm2 / 166.0inch2 and base area of the Revel PerformaBe F328Be is approximately 1536.6cm2 / 238.2inch2. The Contour 60i requires 30% less surface area than the F328Be which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Dynaudio Contour 60i weighs 50.00kg / 110lbs and the Revel PerformaBe F328Be weighs 51.18kg / 112.6lbs. This makes the F328Be 2% heavier than the Contour 60i.
Here is a comparison of how Contour 60i and F328Be's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of Revel PerformaBe F328Be?
Here are the items that come with the F328Be:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Spike feet
- 4 Locking rings
- 4 Washers
- 2 Terminal jumpers (pre-installed)
- 2 Foam port plugs
- Owners Manual
 Max Input Power |
390 watts
vs
300 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Woofer Size |
9 inches
vs
8.0 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Base Surface Area |
1071cm2
vs
1536cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
12000USD
vs
17600USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Sensitivity |
91 dB
vs
88 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
28 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
40k Hz
vs
23k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Height |
1294mm
vs
1330mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
| General |
Dynaudio Contour 60i |
Revel PerformaBe F328Be |
| Brand |
Dynaudio |
Revel |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Sensitivity |
88 dB |
91 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
28-23k Hz |
26-40k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
3 |
| Woofer Size |
9" |
8.0" |
| Woofer Composition |
MSP |
Aluminum |
| Tweeter Size |
1.1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-Dome |
n/a |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6" |
5.25" |
| Crossover Frequency |
220 Hz / 4.500 Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1330.0mm (52.4") |
1294.0mm (50.9") |
| Width |
255.0mm (10") |
343.0mm (13.5") |
| Depth |
420.0mm (16.5") |
448.0mm (17.6") |
| Weight |
50.00kg (110lbs) |
51.18kg (112.6lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Available Colors |
n/a |
Gloss Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
5 Years |
No single best speaker here - they are built to different priorities, and the right one depends on your room, your amplifier and what you listen to.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | evenly matched | Much the same reach (28Hz vs 26Hz). |
| Amplifier needs | B | Revel PerformaBe F328Be is more sensitive (91dB vs 88dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | B | Revel PerformaBe F328Be is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom | A | Dynaudio Contour 60i takes more power (390W vs 300W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Dynaudio Contour 60i is easier to place; Revel PerformaBe F328Be is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | B | Revel PerformaBe F328Be: bi-amping. |
| Price | A | Dynaudio Contour 60i is cheaper - $12,000 against $17,600, about 32% less. |
A Dynaudio Contour 60i B Revel PerformaBe F328Be
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
The usual trade-off: Revel PerformaBe F328Be measures better, Dynaudio Contour 60i costs about about 47% more% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, Revel PerformaBe F328Be is the safer partner - the other will want more current or more watts to sound its best. Think about the whole system, not just the speakers: the roughly $5,600 saved by taking the cheaper pair would buy a subwoofer or a better amplifier, and either usually does more for the sound than the difference between these two.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.